VIDEO: Marciano family celebrates Champions Park, Rocky statue

The brother and son of Brockton native and world champion boxer Rocky Marciano joined city officials and residents at a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday afternoon at the future site of Champions Park at Brockton High School. The 20-foot statue of Rocky Marciano will be erected in September.

By Erik Potter

The Enterprise, Brockton, MA

By Erik Potter

Posted Apr. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 1, 2012 at 1:07 AM

By Erik Potter

Posted Apr. 1, 2012 at 12:01 AM
Updated Apr 1, 2012 at 1:07 AM

BROCKTON

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The brother and son of Brockton native and world champion boxer Rocky Marciano joined city officials and residents at a groundbreaking ceremony Saturday afternoon at the future site of Champions Park at Brockton High School.

The late boxer's brother, Peter, and son, Rocky Jr., attended the event.

The park will include a bigger-than-life-size statue of Marciano landing his knock-out punch against Jersey Joe Walcott which will stand on a hexagon-shaped granite platform surrounded by a 32-foot-wide circle of brick pavers, ringed by a wrought iron fence and a brick wall with plaques boasting of The Brockton Blockbuster’s accomplishments.

A 27-foot-long walkway, lined by day lilies and flowering trees, will lead to a 10-foot-wide wrought iron arch welcoming visitors into the “Champions Park.”

That is the design of semi-retired Brockton landscape architect Bob Keene.

A brass plaque mounted on a large stone to honor Allie Colombo, Marciano’s trainer, will also be part of the park.

“It’s a beautiful plan. I think the city is going to be very, very proud of what we were able to accomplish,” said Larry Siskind, who chairs a committee of local residents working to bring home the nearly 20-foot statue of the boxing legend and Brockton’s favorite son.

The park and statue will be located on the grounds of Brockton High School, just off Forest Avenue at the entrance to Marciano Stadium.

A reception at George’s Cafe, at 228 Belmont St. in Brockton followed the ceremony Saturday afternoon.

Keene, who was asked by the committee to put together a design, said he tried to draw up something the committee would like.

“I felt thrilled that they liked what I presented,” he said. “I feel honored to do something for the city.”

Scott Boyd, general manager at R.J. Messina, a Brockton general contractor that will be doing site work on the project, said the construction is scheduled to finish this summer in time for the statue dedication in September.

“We’re looking to get this done so when the statue arrives we just put it on the pad and everybody starts enjoying it,” Boyd said.

While the statue is being donated by the World Boxing Council, the committee must raise funds for the construction of Champions Park. Siskind said they won’t have a firm cost estimate for a couple weeks, but the fundraising effort will begin next Saturday after the plans for the park are revealed.

The committee is looking for a major sponsor for the park, and are also looking to sell bricks the bricks in 32-foot circle of brick pavers, engraving people’s names on one of the 3,000 individual bricks.

The committee is also considering putting granite benches around the perimeter of the park that could engraved for a fee.

Page 2 of 2 - The statue is being sculpted by a pair of Mexican artists, Mario Rendon and Víctor Gutiérrez. The Enterprise exchanged emails with a spokesman for both men, who don’t speak English, about the progress of their work, but did not hear back by Friday evening.

A dedication for the statue is panned for the weekend of Sept. 22, nearly 60 years to the day after Marciano knocked out Jersey Joe Walcott to earn the heavyweight title.

The image of Marciano landing that knock-out blow will be the design of the statue.

Siskind said the committee is also trying to bring in HBO or another cable outlet to the dedication to broadcast a pair of championship boxing matches at Campanelli Stadium.

“It’s very real, and it’s very exciting,” Siskind said. “This is going to be the biggest thing that’s happened to Brockton since I was a little kid when the whole city used to break out on Main Street when Rocky won his big fights.”

Marciano died in a plane crash in 1969 at the age of 45. With a record of 49-0, he is the only heavyweight boxing champion to retire undefeated.